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so, after having been in our new environs for 8 months i finally had my yamaha C7 tuned and voiced by my esteemed tech. it sounds fantastic.

because the ceilings are low (8'), hardwood floors, lots of glass & plaster walls, he recommended soaking up some of the sound with a large rug, which we've now acquired (13x16). but the trick is going to be how to get the rug (and pad) under the piano. logistically, i think we'll unroll it width-wise so the piano can be lifted one leg at a time.

i'm thinking of calling my piano movers since they're very experienced handling pianos. anyone have any experience/ thoughts on best way to do this AFTER the piano is already in the room?

here's a photo taken shortly after we moved in, for reference:

A couple of buddies can lift one leg at a time with no problem. The cost would be about a case of beer.

For most people, I suggest calling the movers. It is virtually impossible to unroll a medium-sized or larger rug to line up square and flat doing it one leg of a time. In the alternative, you could try unrolling and relaxing the rug elsewhere before lining it up and placing it one leg at a time.

Actually, I think it could be quite easy if you squish up the rug in the middle and then slide the ends in one at a time as some guys hold up the corresponding leg. Of course, you'll probably have to do minor adjustments, as I don't think you'd get it all in one shot.

If the rug is underneath the piano but needs adjustment(which will almost probably occur)this could require lifting more than one leg at a time which is riskier and harder than lifting only one leg at a time.

But with a few men, it can be done.

To avoid having to make a lot of adjustments, you may want to use painter's tape and make straight lines where the rug should go so when you're setting it you can line it up so it's not wonky.

If that seems too hard, then definitely call in a professional.

Call the piano movers. Risking injury to non-professionals (friends) is not a good idea, IMHO.

BTW, have you tried the piano with the carpet under it? Not precisely placed, but to get an impression of the sound. You might find you prefer the sound without the carpet.

yes, been acclimating the piano to the room for 8 months, playing with rugs, cushions, furniture, etc. It's a semi-concert grand in a relatively small space, and experiments have confirmed my tech's opinion re: taking some of the 'liveness' out of the room.

Beautiful room and nice drum set (the piano is nice, too).

I put small support plates under each of the casters on my seven footer by using an inexpensive pneumatic jack (for changing tires) and some 2x4 blocks - one leg at a time. You could slide a rug under each leg one at a time using the same technique. Then you can drink all the beer yourself.

What you describe is precisely what is nearly impossible to do. It's a C7...over 900 lbs. And these neighbors who love endlessly lifting the piano to get the rug just so...exactly where do they put their feet while they are lifting the piano so that you can adjust the rug?

If you do it yourself, you have one shot to align it and unroll it while passing under one leg at a time. If you are happy with where it lays, great. If not, roll it up and start over because there is no adjusting a rug while under a piano.

He said "rug", Sam, not carpet. Who would carpet that wood floor of his?

The way I do these things is lay out the rug where it should be, folding over the corners that go under the legs. Then I lift each leg as someone else unfolds the rug. All they have to do is get the rug under the caster. The rest of the rug can fold up against my legs until I let the piano down. But I have piano moving experience, and know how to lift.

As Painted Post Dave says, I would find a way of lifting up at each leg in turn using a car jack. I'd find a suitable piece of wood and a protective layer to bear at suitable places underside and a good firm base to raise up the jack. If not 100% sure of what you're doing, don't do it.

Another option rather than the rug is to put some sound-proofing materials on the walls. You can buy nice-looking acoustic ceiling tile, paint it, and glue it (or otherwise fasten it) to the walls. It can imitate the look of wainscoting, and be effective without the hassle of lifting piano legs.

My husband lifted my 9' Petrof so I could place caster cups underneath the leg. I figure with a few men they could lift one leg at a time to slide carpet edges underneath. Obviously, you'd have to roll it up and it does depend upon the size of the carpet....if it's much larger than the piano then there's more to deal with.

We did this once when we were installing hardwood floors under our piano! If you're careful, it's a great solution when you're in a bind.

thanks for all the advice; it's helping me think it thru. it's especially tricky because it has to be done twice - once for the pad and once for the rug.

i'm definitely not attempting this with friends & family, will call in some pros. it might make the most sense to actually put the piano on the mover's dolly, roll it out of the room, and have a clear palette to work with. my movers are good; they can do that in about 15 minutes. problem is my fresh new beautiful tuning will get munged, although i was shocked at how well the C7 stayed in tune after the move to the house and how long it stays in tune. they must put extraordinary pinblocks in those things.

ps - i'll post another photo after the job is done.

That's a rather large size rug..there used to be a company that made rugs in the shape of a baby grand to just fit under the piano..a little beyond the legs.. not sure if there still around, that would be an easier alternative than jockeying a large area rug..

My wife and I accomplished this ourselves and it was easier than expected. Use a pair of 2X4s to lift the piano. Cut one to a length equal to the distance from the floor to the bottom of the piano. This is the fulcrum. The second one was 6 to 8 feet long. Use this as the lever.

1. Lift the piano end opposite the keyboard and slide the rug in under the pedals and the lifted leg. The edges are folded to miss the other two legs.
2. Lift one side and unfold the rug.
3. Lift the other side and unfold the rug.

I like the idea of using masking tape to position the rug. That is a great tip. We used a round rug which makes positioning a little easier. Using a lever to lift makes it easy for the lifter to hold the piano up. Then the rug wrangler can work slowly and carefully under the piano.

First pre-measure for exact rug position.

-Position rolled up rug so that it unrolls toward the back leg.
-unroll enough of the rug to slide under the front of the piano.
-Pick up the treble leg and slide rug under. Place the leg on to the pre-measured spot. This is the only measurement needed. The rest of the rug us squared to the room.
-Lift bass leg and slide rug under and square it to the room. As the rug is squared to the room, check for bunching under the treble leg. Usually the wheel turns with the rug but if not just lift the treble side as needed to avoid damage.
-finish by unrolling rug under the back leg.

I've done this a few times with little and once with no help from the customer.